Apparatus for storing and displaying linoleum and like materials



March 6, 1928. 1,661,932

H. ELLIOTT APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPLAYING LINOLEUM AND LIKE MATERIALS Filed March 2. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Marci, 6, 1928'. 1,661,932 4 HQ ELLIOTT APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPLAYING LINOLEUM AND LIKE MATERIALS Filed March 2. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1/1/ Ill/m IrIIA-IIIIVE March 6, 1928.

H. ELLIOTT APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPLAYING LINOLEUM AND LIKE MATERIALS Filed March 2. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

Parser MLQBZ pp! ii".

HENRY ELLIOTT, OF GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

APPARATUS non sroarne AND torsrriarrne LINOLEUM .aivn runs iuairnarars.

Application filed March 2, 1925, Serial No. 12,606, and in Great Britain March 11, 192 1.

This invention comprises an improved method, system or apparatus for storing, handling and displaying linoleum, carpets, and other flexible sheet material.

According to my invention carpets, linolcum, and other flexible material is supported so as to hang vertically by means of clips secured to the upper edge thereof and which clips are supported by and arranged to travel on an overhead rail or are secured to an overhead wire,band, or the like. By such system the material can be suspendedfor display, for drying or for other purposes and also transported.

As applied to the storage, handling and displaying of rolls of linoleum, carpets and other material, hereafter referred to as rolls, my invent-ion comprises means for rotatably supporting the rolls in a vertical position in combination with a clip or clips or the like mounted on a guide rail or secured to a wire, band or the like.

The combination is such that by attaching a clip to the upper edge of the material and unwinding the roll, the unwound portion is suspended for display by means of the clip which travels outwardly from the roll as the latter is unrolled.

If necessary, and depending on the length of material displayed, additional clips may be secured to the material to prevent same sagging.

On the annexed three sheets ofdrawings I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention as applied to the storage, handling and displaying of linoleum and and like goods and whereon:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved system shown as embodying three rolls.

Figure 2 is an end View, and

Figure 3 a plan view thereof.

Figure 4: illustrates a convenient arrangement for raising a roll on to a rotatably mounted support. y

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a sectional-elovation, side elevation respectively of a rotatably supported base and means for rotating same to re-roll a roll which has been partly unwound. J

Figure 7 is an elevation partly in section and V p Figure 8 a view at right angles of an equivalent arrangement for rotating the base.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 99, Figure 7. t

grammatically in Figures 10 and 11 are elevationand plan view respectively of an arrangement com-- prising a plurality of rolls rotatably mounts ed on a base common'to all and which base is rotatably mounted.

Referring to the drawings a are the rotatably mounted bases, Z) the rolls, 0 overhead rail and (Z clips arranged to travel thereon. Each base is mounted on ball bearings on a fixed support 0 which may be fixed to the floor by screws or otherwise. The base consists of two superimposed discs or tables, theupper one being provided with a short central spindle or stud f and hinged to the other at g. Extending overhead the rolls is the rail 0 which may be secured to a shelf 2' which in turn is supported by brackets j secured to a wall, said shelf is omitted in Figure 3. Mounted to travel on said rail are a number of the clips (Z. Those are preferalbly provided with rollers Z to run on said rai i The clips illustrated are provided with two fingers and 70 one rigid and the other pivoted at 70 an eccentric looking device 7: being provided to force the finger 0 towards the other.

Also secured to the wall are hinged arms at each of which at its outer end carries a short spindle 72, see Figure l.

Springer othercatches 0 arevsecured to the shelf to'hold said arms m in an inoperative position. To mount a roll on one of the bases the roll is first deposited or rolled on to blocks or the like It as-indicated diachain dotted lines F igure 4;. p a

The hinged portion of the rotatably mounted base is then turned through an angle of 90 so that the short spindle or stud f fits into the central opening or core of the roll. By means of blocks and tackle w, indicated in dotted lines, secured to a band or the like passed round oneend of the roll and secured to a hook in the wall the roll can be raised from the horizontal position shown diagrammaticallyin chain dotted lines Figure 4: to the vertical position indicated in sectionin the same figure, the hinged arm we having been previously raised and retained by the catch. f t

The said arm is then released so that the short spindle it carried thereby fits into the upper end or core of the roll thereby serving to retain the roll in its vertical. position.

Ill

In like manner each roll is mounted on its base.

When it is desired to display any of the rolls the upper edge thereof is secured between the fingers of one of the clips at and the roll partly unwound, the base a rotating on its bearing and the unwound portion held vertically by means of the clip which travels outwardly along the rail.

In order to enable the pattern of the rolls to be readily compared other rolls may likewise be unwound but only to such extent that the unrolled portion of the rear roll is not obscured by the other unrollcd portions of the other roll or rolls. The rcwinding of a roll which has been partially unrolled may be accomplished by manually rotating the roll together with its base or, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, this may be efl'tected by means of a "l'oot operated lever p carrying a pawl 73 and loosely mounted on a. spindle 7) having i'ast thereon a ratchet wheel 7f with which said pawl co-aets. Said spindle is mounted in the support a and carries at its inner end a bevel wheel Q which meshes with a bevel wheel secured to the rotatably mounted base. By repeatedly depressing the lever 72 against the action of a spring Q2 the pawl intermittently engages with and rotates the ratchet wheel and the latter through its spindle and the bevel gearing rotates step by step the rotatably mounted base, and therefore also the roll mounted thereon. Or the. rotatably mounted base may be provided with a series of circumferentially arranged ratchet teeth 1'. see Figure 7. A circumferential groove in the fixed support ac coininodates a pawl r carried by a travelling member 1* which is arranged to travel in said groove. Said member r is secured to a cable a which latter passes through an opening in the annular wall .9 enclosing the support a and rotatably mounted base to the exterior. A handle 8" is secured to the extremity of the cable.

To rewind the roll the cable is pulled and the pawl engaging with the ratchet teeth '1' rotates the base and roll mounted thereon. On releasing the tension in the cable the travelling member r is drawn back by the spring w. and the -foregoing operation repeated thereby enabling the roll to be intermittently rotated.

With the object of minimizing friction in unrolling a roll the support on which the roll rests may be slightly convex as shown in Figures 5 and 6 and for a similar reason the short spindle or stud a may be provided with a ring a mounted on ball or roller bearings.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11 anumber of rolls 2) each mounted on a rotatable base a and support therefor a may be mounted on a base 11) common to all and which base may be rot-atably supported on ball hearings or otherwise on a fixed base or support 11), one or more rails c, or wires being provided therefor. Said rail is supported by a central upright 0 and an upright c. A catch to is provided to lock the base to with respect to its support w. In use the selected roll is brought under the rail 0 by rotating the base '10, and the edge of the roll thereafter secured by a clip which is traversed on the rail, the said roll beiny simultaneously unrolled and the pattern thereby exposed.

According to a modification a wire supported by brackets or other supports may be substituted for the rail. Or the wire may be arranged to pass over pulleys, one of which may be secured to the spindle inserted in the upper end of the roll or otherwise secured so as to rotate with the roll.

The clip or clips are secured to the wire, and the arrangement is such that the material can be enrolled for display as above set forth and the rewinding of the material automatically effected by operating the wire.

An idle roller or the like may be arranged to receive the unrolled portion of the material. Further a measuring and cutting device may also be provided so that any required length of material may be readily out ofi.

Said guide rail or wire with supports therefor may be mounted on a frame or wheels or otherwise arranged to be portable so as to be capable of being moved from place to place as desired. A guide rail 1 groove or raised platform or the like may be provided to prevent or lessen any movenu-nt of the lower edge of the material.

The clips may be operated by links, cords. or the like to engage with and be disengaged from the material, and may also be capable of being lowered with the material secured thereto. Or one or more bands, cords or the like secured to an overhead winding drum and. having their end or ends secured overhead may be provided, and which can be placed below the material so that when the winding drum is operated the material is rolled up.

A short spindle f may be replaced by a long movable spindle which may be withdrawn prior to a roll being placed on the rotatable table and then inserted through the core of the rolls.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A system for storing. handling and dis playing stock rolls of linoleum and similar materials, comprising means for individually and rotatably supporting a plurality of such stock rolls in vertical adjacently disposed positions, hand operated clips adapted to be detachably secured to the upper ,edge of the material of any desired roll after a portion thereof has been unwound from said roll; and means located above said plurality no of rolls for supporting said clips and per mitting horizontal movement thereof, for supporting any desired length of the material in a vertical plane. 1

2. A system for storing, handling and displaying stock rolls of linoleum and similar materials, comprising means for individually and rotatably supporting a plurality of such stock rolls in vertical positions disposed immediately adjacent each other in a deli nite line; hand operated clips adapted to be detachably secured to the upper edges of the material of any desired number of said rolls after a portion of the material has been unwound therefrom; means located above and extending parallel to "the line of rolls for supporting said clips and permitting movement oi the clips and the materials supported thereby in a plane paralleling said line of rolls, and permitting the free end ofsaid unwound portions to partially overlap each other for the purpose of comparison of the materials.

3. An apparatus for storing, handlingand displaying stock rolls of linoleum and similar materials comprising in combination an individual rigid support for each roll; a base rotatably mounted on each rigid support; a rigidly supported rail above said roll and extending in a horizontal plane; clips movably mounted on said rail and comprising hand operated clamps adapted to be removably attached to the upper edge of the material after a portion thereof has been unwound from the roll, whereby a desired length of the material may be unwound from the rolland supported in a vertical plane laterally of said roll.

it. An apparatus for storing, handling and displaying stock rolls, of linoleum and similar materials comprising in combination an individual rigid support for each roll; a base rotatably mounted on each rigid support; a stud on said base and extending but a short distance into the core of said roll; means for steadying the upperend of said roll comprising an arm pivoted to a suitable rigid support and having a stud extending but a short distance into the core of said roll; a ring rotatably mounted on said upper stud and snugly fitting within said core; a rigidly supported rail above said roll and extending in a horizontal plane; clips movably mounted on said rail and comprising hand operated clamps adapted to be removably attached to the upper edge of the material after a portion thereof has been un- Wound from the roll, whereby a desired length of the material may be unwound from the roll and supported in a vertical plane laterally of said roll.

5. An apparatus for storing, handling and displaying'stock rolls of linoleum and similar materials comprising in combination an individual rigid support for each roll; a

base rotatably mounted on each rigid sup port; a table hingedly secured to said rotatable base; a stud on said hinged table adaptcomprising an arm pivot-ally attached to a suitable rigid support and having a stud eX- tending but ashort distance into the upper end of the core of said roll; a rigidly supported rail above said roll and extending in a horizontal plane; clips movably mounted on said rail and comprising hand operated clamps adapted to be removably attached to the upper edge of the material'atter a por tion thereof has been unwound from the roll, whereby a desired length of the material may be unwound from theroll and supported in a vertical plane laterally of said roll.

g 6. An apparatus for storing, handling and displaying stock rolls of linoleum and similar materials comprising in combination an iinlividual rigid support for each roll; a base rotatably mounted on each rigid support; a table hingcdly secured to said rotatable base; a stud on said hinged table adapted to extend but a short distance into the lower end of the core of said roll while said roll is occupying a horizontal position means for moving the roll from the horizontal to a vertical position wherein the hinged table pivots on the pi'ntle of its hinge; means for steadying the upper end of said roll comprising an arm pivotally attached to a suitable rigid support and having a stud extending but a short distance into the upper end of the core of said roll; a rigidly supported rail above said roll and extending in a horizontal plane; clips movably mount ed on said rail and comprising hand operated clamps adapted to be removably'attached to the upper edge of the material after a portion thereof has been unwound from the roll, whereby adesired length of the material may be unwound from the roll and supported in a vertical plane later-' ally of said roll.

7. An apparatus for storing, handling and displaying stock rolls of linoleum and similar materials comprising in combination an individual rigid support for each roll having a cavity formed therein; a base rotatably mounted on said rigid support and provided with a cavity communicating with that in said support; a rigidly supported rail above said roll and extending in a horizon-,-

tal plane; clips movably mounted on said rail and adapted to be removably attached to the upper edge of the material after a port-ion thereof has been unwound from said roll; whereby a desired lengthof said material may be unwound from the roll and supported in a verticalplane; and means within the cavities formed in said support and said rotatable base for rewinding said unwound portion of said material onto said roll.

8. An apparatus for storing, handling and displaying stock rolls of linoleum and similar materials comprising in combination an individual rigid support for each roll having a cavity formed therein; a base rotatably mounted on said rigid support and provided with a cavity communicating with that in said support: a rigidly supported rail above said roll and extending in a horizontal plane; clips movabl mounted on said rail and adapted to, be removably attached to the upper edge of the material after a portion thereof has been unwound from said roll; whereby a desired length of said material may be unwound. from the roll and supported in a vertical plane; means within the cavities formed in said support and said rotatable base for rewinding said unwound portion of said material onto said roll: and means extending from the interior of said support to the exterior thereof for operating said rewinding means. i

9. An apparatus for storing, handling and displaying stock rolls of. linoleum and similar materials comprising in combination an individual rigid support for each roll having a cavity formed therein; a base rotatably mounted on said rigid support and provided with a cavity communicating with that in said support; a rigidly supported rail above said roll and extending in a horizontal plane; clips movably mounted on said rail and adapted to be removably attached to the upper edge of the material after a portion thereof has been unwound from said roll, whereby a desired length ofsaid material may be unwound from the roll and supported in a vertical plane; a gear on the rotatable base within its cavity: a shaft extending from the cavity of said support to the exterior thereof; a gear on the inner end at said shaft cooperating with the gear on said rotatable base: and an element on the outer end of said shaft, for operating said gears to rewind the unwound portion of said material.

10. An apparatus for storing, handling and displaying stoclv' rolls of linoleum and similar materials comprising in combination an individual rigid support for each roll having a cavity formed therein: a base 130- tatably mounted on said rigid support and provided with a cavity communicating with that in said support: a rigidly stqaported rail above said roll and extending in a horizontal plane; clips movably mounted on said rail and adapted to be removablv attached to the upper edge of the material after a portion thereof has been unwound from said roll, whereby a desired length of said material ma be unwound from the roll and supported in a vertical plane; a gear on the rotatable base within its cavity: a shaft extemling from the cavity of said support to the exterior thereof; a gear on the inner end of said shaft cooperating with the gear on said rotatable base; a ratchet wheel secured to the outer end of said shaft: a pedal loosely mounted on the outer end of said shaft adjacent the ratchet. wheel: a pawl on the pedal engaging said ratchet wheel: and a spring for moving the pedal in one direction, such mechanism comprlsing means by which the unwound portion of said material may be rewound on the roll.

HENRY ELLIOT "1. 

